The present invention relates to an assembly for introducing a reducing agent into the exhaust pipe of an exhaust system of an Internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle. The present invention further relates to a method of introducing a reducing agent into the exhaust pipe of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle.
To comply with specifications relating to environmental laws, exhaust gases such as those of motor vehicles driven by internal combustion engines need to be subjected to a purification. In particular, for nitrogen oxide reduction, so-called SCR catalytic converters (also referred to as denitrification catalysts) are increasingly employed, which selectively reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) generated in the engine during combustion to form water and nitrogen with the aid of ammonia (NH3) intermediately stored in the SCR catalytic converter. The provision of the ammonia required for the selective catalytic reduction is effected by a hydrolysis of urea which is added to the exhaust gas usually in a dissolved form.
Systems known from the prior art utilize an injection valve, for example a low pressure fuel Injection valve, to introduce an aqueous urea solution into the exhaust pipe upstream of an SCR catalytic converter. Such valves produce a fine mist of urea in the region of the valve tip which may deposit on the wall of the exhaust pipe. This is a problem in particular in the low-load, low-temperature operation of the internal combustion engine, in which the deposits are not vaporized again and may completely block the exhaust pipe in this way.